Celebrating the Sales Tax Nerd Community

Nerd: a single-minded expert in a particular technical field

Does this describe you?  If you’re a sales tax nerd, you’re probably getting questions like “What’s up with the sales tax on my Amazon purchase?” We’re hearing those questions too – and we’re excited about it! Following the Wayfair decision, sales tax is finally making headlines and is on the brains of business professionals and consumers alike.

That’s why we’re declaring 2019 the year of the sales tax nerd.

When you work in sales tax, you understand something that few others do and that’s worth celebrating.  

And you aren’t alone! There is an entire community of fellow sales tax nerds out there – and they are proud of what they do!

We’ll be sharing the importance of embracing your inner sales tax nerd and other sales tax successes with #salestaxnerd on our social media and here on the blog. You’re invited to join us!

The Sales Tax Institute team – just a bunch of sales tax nerds. #salestaxnerd

If you enjoy finding exemptions for your company or following major sales tax court cases, you just might be a sales tax nerd. We think you should own that enthusiasm, even if your boss or your coworkers don’t always understand.

To our readers working in sales tax: we see you, we understand you, we celebrate you.

We see sales tax pros as the people that hold everything together behind the scenes. Tax managers endlessly researching rules and staying on top of compliance issues. Entrepreneurs trying to learn the implications of sales tax for their new venture. Young accounting professionals taking the path less traveled.

Taking on sales tax is not easy, but you don’t have to do it alone.  

We hear from so many people that they are a department of one. They don’t have anyone to turn to when they are stuck analyzing an issue or when they want to celebrate that audit win! Join our community of sales tax nerds – we’ll be here to help you through the tough times and to help you celebrate the successes.

Let’s Stick Together

There are places you can go if you seek a group of professionals that “speak sales tax.”

In a niche field like this, there is so much value in helping other sales tax pros by swapping stories and offering advice. We see this in action at our live courses every year. It’s an awesome feeling to meet other sales tax pros and instantly know that they *get* it.

Sales tax pros at Basics of Sales and Use Tax nerding out together.

Making intentional moves to expand your network within sales tax not only can help you find solutions to challenges in your job, it can also make this industry seem a little less lonely. There are other sales tax nerds out there to turn to and that need your insight!

Here are some ideas to get you started:

• Online groups. Meeting people in person isn’t always possible. Luckily there are many virtual ways to network.  Online groups through social media platforms like LinkedIn and Facebook can be a great alternative for asking questions and sharing best practices. The Sales Tax Institute keeps networking alive through a private LinkedIn group for alumni of our in-person and online courses. Make sure to join if you’ve taken a course from us! Some other groups to check out: Sales Tax Cafe, LEVERAGE SALT a state tax community, and State Tax Policy Exchange.
• Professional trainings. The Sales Tax Institute builds in networking/relationship building time into each of its live in-person trainings. Attending sales tax training courses is not only a way to sharpen your skills but a great way to build your community with your peers. Our Basics of Sales & Use Tax course is the perfect event to start.
• Follow #salestax on social media. Type in #salestax into any given social media search bar and thousands of news articles and professional commentaries will pop up. Join the conversations happening. Better yet, share your experiences and professional pride using #salestaxnerd.
• Meet ups at conferences. Our founder/president, Diane, is a regular fixture at most of the major sales tax-related conferences each year. This year, we plan to announce Sales Tax Nerd meet-ups for each conference she attends later this year.  Just this week, we met up with many Sales Tax Institute alumni at the COST Sales Tax Conference and took the opportunity for a group picture. We got a number of people to embrace their inner (and outer) #salestaxnerd with our brand new stickers!  The meet-ups will be an opportunity for you to meet Diane and other professionals in an informal social setting. Conferences Diane will attend: The Prosper Show, Avalara CRUSH, IOFM AP & P2P, Accountex, Vertex Exchange, Chicago Tax Club, COST Annual Meeting, and who knows what else. Watch our social media channels for announcements on the meet-ups!

Sales Tax Institute sales tax nerd alum at the COST Sales Tax Conference.

Are you a sales tax nerd? Let us know on social that you’re a self-declared nerd using the hashtag #salestaxnerd and tagging Sales Tax Institute. Let’s make 2019 the year we band together!!